ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. net — for catching
  4. bear — the animal
  5. band — a music group
  6. march — the month
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. net — after costs
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. march — music
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — government
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. net — in sport
  23. scale — in music
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com